The present invention relates generally to produce containers and more particularly to hydrocooled produce containers. Hydrocooling is the practice of directly spraying a filled container with water in order to maintain the freshness of the products shipped in the container.
Wire bound wood crates have traditionally been used for shipping fresh produce and particularly for shipping produce that is hydrocooled before, during and after shipment. Unfortunately, wire bound wood crates are expensive to manufacture and maintain, and in order to justify the expense involved, they must be reused. Naturally, such reuse requires that the crates be returned empty so they can be refilled and this is an inconvenience because of the sheer bulk of the empty crates.
In view of these and other drawbacks with the use of wire bound crates, many attempts have been made in the past to convert the packers of produce to the use of corrugated paperboard containers. In general, most of these attempts have failed because of poor design and the inability of the corrugated paperboard to retain its strength and integrity under hydrocooling conditions. At least one method used in the past for protecting corrugated paperboard from the deteriorating effects of the hydrocooling process has been to seal the edges of the corrugations to prevent the entry of water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,635,451 and 3,902,651 each show methods for sealing the edges of corrugated paperboard and containers constructed from such paperboard. However, the present invention takes a different approach toward the same end result based on the design of the container and the means by which the container is filled.